Purpose and Action

 •  2 min. read  •  grade level: 8
The difference between the counsel, or purpose, of the Lord and His working it out into action is obvious enough. The seed of the woman was announced in Genesis 3 as to bruise the serpent's head, as well as the serpent to bruise His heel. But though such was declared in Genesis 3:1515And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. (Genesis 3:15), seven thousand years were to roll their course before the seed of the woman finally did so (Rev. 20:1010And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. (Revelation 20:10)), and lour thousand before the woman's seed was born.
God's purpose and intention about Moses and His willing attempt to work it out Himself are given to us in Exodus 1-2. See also Acts 7:23-2923And when he was full forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren the children of Israel. 24And seeing one of them suffer wrong, he defended him, and avenged him that was oppressed, and smote the Egyptian: 25For he supposed his brethren would have understood how that God by his hand would deliver them: but they understood not. 26And the next day he showed himself unto them as they strove, and would have set them at one again, saying, Sirs, ye are brethren; why do ye wrong one to another? 27But he that did his neighbor wrong thrust him away, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge over us? 28Wilt thou kill me, as thou diddest the Egyptian yesterday? 29Then fled Moses at this saying, and was a stranger in the land of Madian, where he begat two sons. (Acts 7:23‑29). After forty years the Lord's time was come (vss. 30-42), and He wrought with an unwilling Moses. God has a counsel and a plan, and He has revealed many such in the written Word, but who can work them out? Who keeps us in the position of dependence? Who proves Himself the God of resurrection to us in the carrying out of His work but Himself? The New Testament is studded with instances of the same kind. Peter would go through death for his Master's sake before Christ died and rose. The same Peter had to go through death for his Master's sake after his Master was risen.
If you consider this you will see and get helped as to many puzzling things. A young man converted gets hold of "Enoch walked with God" as his purpose in life. Surely it is God's purpose for all His children, for it was what the Son of His love did perfectly. But many a one has set out to walk and given himself to the work, as John Mark did, who, before they could be spoken of by God as having that true of them, had to learn some lesson or other about themselves, or their circumstances, or God. Lookers-on say, "A mistake from first to last," without taking what is precious from what is vile. The soul that humbly waits on God learns of God all about the various parts of the conflict, and comforts itself in God, and waits to see what end the Lord will bring forth. "Be still, and know that I am God" is the word for you perhaps, but look up and do not be puzzled. God often says, "It was well it was in thine heart," even where His time for working out is not fully come, and even when we have been showing out self, and what is of the world and gives power to Sa tan too. G. V. Wigram